Oberlin College president meets with VP Kamala Harris to talk about abortion rights

When the vice president of the United States wanted to talk about how the rollback of abortion rights will affect college students across the nation, Carmen Twillie Ambar answered the call. The Oberlin College president was part of a roundtable discussion Monday in Washington, D.C., where she met with Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. In June, the Supreme Court bucked precedent, ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that abortion is no longer constitutionally protected. The decision reversed the court's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. Since then, full bans have been enacted in 10 states, and six-week "heartbeat" bans are on the books in four more, including Ohio. "I know that many in our community are concerned that this Supreme Court ruling is a sign that the equity that we have come to believe should be available for all will continue to be in retreat," Ambar wrote in an open letter to the Oberlin community. "But I am forever looking forward. I believe that as the country responds to this ruling the arc of progress and equity will ultimately, in the end, bend towards expansiveness." In Washington, she told Harris the Dobbs decision is about more than a woman's right to choose — it is about growing issues of inequity. "In this singular moment, higher education has a responsibility to help America conduct a more civil dialogue about a woman's right to make decisions about her own health care, and dare I say about equity itself," she said. In remarks provided by the White House to the news media, Harris said the majority of women who will be affected by the Dobbs decision are between the ages of 20 and 29. Many are already enrolled or will soon be attending college, she said. Harris also noted that women on college campuses are three times more likely to experience sexual violence. Few states that have restricted abortion have made exceptions for women who become pregnant after being raped. "The principles that are at stake are, of course, that we must trust the women of America to make those most intimate decisions for themselves and, if they choose, in consultation with their family members, with their faith leader, and with their physician," the vice president said. "But the government should not be making this decision for her." President Joe Biden has already signed two executive orders allowing states to use Medicaid funds to help women travel to places they can receive reproductive care. The U.S. Department of Justice has also brought a suit challenging Idaho's abortion ban, and "is clearly prepared to do more" to make sure state laws don't conflict with federal law requiring access to health care, Harris said. She has traveled widely in recent months to talk with state legislators about protecting reproductive rights. Harris has also met with health care providers, constitutional law experts, faith leaders, state attorneys general and advocates. Her roundtable Monday included presidents and chancellors from Reed College, Gallaudet University, Howard University, the University of California-Irvine, Tennessee State University, Dartmouth College, City University of New York, the American Council on Education and Oberlin College.